Stand Up for Your National Monuments

You Can Help Protect Our Rivers

Colorado Trout Unlimited has over 10,000 members representing 23 chapters across the state. They act as advocates and conservators for their home rivers, conducting projects in stream restoration, water quality protection, and more. The on-the-ground, grassroots efforts of our members and volunteers are what sets CTU apart from most other conservation groups.

Legislative Advocacy

Responsible Use

Though perhaps best known for its role in defeating the Two Forks Dam proposal in 1980, Colorado Trout Unlimited’s influence can be seen on hundreds of miles of rivers ranging from Durango to Denver to Fort Collins.

Southern Basins

In the Field

Our blog serves as the news and information hub for the Colorado Trout Unlimited community. The contributions are from and for people with National Trout Unlimited, Colorado Trout Unlimited, and local chapters of Colorado Trout Unlimited. We encourage all members to read and post often!

Events

Volunteer

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Colorado Trout Unlimited is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and the Colorado afilliate of Trout Unlimited recognized by Charity Navigator as a four-star charity. Your donations are 100% tax-deductible. Thank you for your generous support!

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North Basins

South Platte

The South Platte begins in the mountains surrounding South Park and flows down through renowned tailwater fisheries in Elevenmile, Cheesman, and Waterton Canyons to reach the Denver metropolitan area and then continue across eastern Colorado. The river is a work horse – its water supports cities, agriculture, and recreation – but along with tributaries including Clear Creek, Bear Creek, and Boulder Creek it is also a priceless natural resource that Colorado TU and its chapters have long worked to conserve, protect, and restore.

Improving habitat in Clear Creek. Colorado TU’s West Denver Chapter has been hard at work on its home waters on Clear Creek – completing restoration of the “Golden Mile” reach and now preparing to move further up Clear Creek to restore habitat through the Canyon Reach project – collectively, the projects are putting more than a half-million dollars of restoration in place to benefit the river.

Gross Reservoir enlargement. Denver Water has proposed enlarging Gross Reservoir on South Boulder Creek. The project raises many concerns as it would rely on significant new diversions from the already overtapped Colorado River headwaters. Colorado TU continues to advocate for appropriate protections for the Colorado, but also supports Denver’s proposal to address the reservoir’s Boulder Creek impacts by creating a “conservation pool” reservoir to help store and deliver water from existing Front Range water supplies to address low winter flows in South Boulder Creek.

Boulder Creek Rogers Park project. Boulder Flycasters completed work on the Rogers Park reach of Middle Boulder Creek, helping create a healthier river habitat and along the way earning recognition as the winner of the Boulder County Pinnacle Award for Public Involvement. Future efforts will tackle other reaches within the Boulder Creek watershed.

South Platte Protection Plan. In the aftermath of the Environmental Protection Agency’s veto of the Two Forks Dam project, studies began on possible designation of the South Platte as a wild and scenic river. Colorado TU worked with other conservationists, water users and local governments to craft a local alternative – the “South Platte Protection Plan” – to create a shared vision for protecting the river into the future. After nearly 10 years, the Plan continues to work to protect flows, fund restoration, and provide recreation along the South Platte corridor.

Buffalo Peaks Ranch restoration. The Middle Fork South Platte through Buffalo Peaks Ranch provides public angling thanks to agreements with the City of Aurora, its owner – but the river was overwide and provided poor habitat for fish. Thanks to a large-scale restoration project conducted by Colorado TU with funding support from the Division of Wildlife’s Fishing is Fun program, the river is healthier and the fishery is another jewel for the South Platte watershed.

Join CTU

Colorado TU has 10,000+ members in 24 chapters across the state. They are the lifeblood of the organization, the reason we can say that Colorado TU is the state’s largest grassroots conservation organization.